Kiegoi and Cafédirect: Energy Audit
In 2007, Cafédirect's Producer Partnership Programme (PPP) assisted several of its tea partners, including Kiegoi, in creating community led and needs based environmental initiatives.
At Kiegoi, two of the most pressing environmental issues were electricity consumption and the inefficient management of wood fuel for boilers, resulting in the burning of large amounts of inappropriate wood and contributing to deforestation.
An energy audit was carried out at the Kiegoi tea factory in February 2007. This examined how energy consumption could be reduced in order to facilitate greater efficiency and more environmentally friendly practices. Since then, the recommendations have been implemented with astounding results:
- Minor adjustments to the tea processing machinery has led to a 15% reduction in electricity consumption.
- Improved timber usage policies that include building a covered area for the wood to dry, and purchasing in advance to guarantee a market for sustainably harvested wood.
- More black tea is produced using less energy - the total amount of timber used has been reduced by 50%, with every cubic metre burned now producing 230kg of black tea instead of 170kg.
The success of this work has led to Cafédirect initiating similar activities with more partners in Kenya and elsewhere.